Pics that no one else likes

[407370]

This was another one that got no love on TPF.
From the balcony of my hotel room balanced on the safety rail (no room for a tripod). This was at the longest end of the FUJI HS 20 with a 2 second exposure. Waited for traffic to build up and took the pic in sequence with the traffic lights on the roundabout. Very difficult shot:

 

[unpopular]

More of the rule than the exception in my case.

 

[Fred Berg]

This was another one that got no love on TPF.
From the balcony of my hotel room balanced on the safety rail (no room for a tripod). This was at the longest end of the FUJI HS 20 with a 2 second exposure. Waited for traffic to build up and took the pic in sequence with the traffic lights on the roundabout. Very difficult shot:
View attachment 104805

Unlike figure skating, there are no points awarded for the level of difficulty in photography. What the viewer sees is how the photographer (and their work) is judged with no consideration given to the effort involved: the result is all that matters.

 

[Designer]

This was another one that got no love on TPF.
From the balcony of my hotel room balanced on the safety rail (no room for a tripod). This was at the longest end of the FUJI HS 20 with a 2 second exposure. Waited for traffic to build up and took the pic in sequence with the traffic lights on the roundabout. Very difficult shot:
View attachment 104805

Unlike figure skating, there are no points awarded for the level of difficulty in photography. What the viewer sees is how the photographer (and their work) is judged with no consideration given to the effort involved: the result is all that matters.

I will disagree with you, Fred. At least in my case, I do consider the difficulty of getting the shot. I look at the general setup, any lighting, the locale, the pose and timing. In other words, yes, I do give extra points if I perceive the photograph required extra effort and planning by the photographer. Not everyone will, of course, and that is where your observation is valid.

 

[Fred Berg]

This was another one that got no love on TPF.
From the balcony of my hotel room balanced on the safety rail (no room for a tripod). This was at the longest end of the FUJI HS 20 with a 2 second exposure. Waited for traffic to build up and took the pic in sequence with the traffic lights on the roundabout. Very difficult shot:
View attachment 104805

Unlike figure skating, there are no points awarded for the level of difficulty in photography. What the viewer sees is how the photographer (and their work) is judged with no consideration given to the effort involved: the result is all that matters.

I will disagree with you, Fred. At least in my case, I do consider the difficulty of getting the shot. I look at the general setup, any lighting, the locale, the pose and timing. In other words, yes, I do give extra points if I perceive the photograph required extra effort and planning by the photographer. Not everyone will, of course, and that is where your observation is valid.

Some fellow photographers will look beyond the finished article, of course, but the general viewing public won't. They won't care a fig what camera was used, if it was a complicated, planned shot or a simple snapshot, nor whether it is film or digital they are looking at. I used to think it mattered how difficult a shot was to take and that this and whether film or digital was used should be made known, but not any more. I began to think about this a few months ago and came to the conclusion that just as when you wrote an essay at uni, your target audience was the intelligent person sitting next to you on the bus and not fellow students; then, equally, when you make a photograph it should be appealing for the appreciative gallery goer or interested magazine reader and not produced for other photographers.

By the way, was it you I promised to translate the guidelines for photographing in public in Germany? I came across the magazine with my initial notes under a pile of papers recently. Let me know if you still need this.

 

[Designer]

By the way, was it you I promised to translate the guidelines for photographing in public in Germany? I came across the magazine with my initial notes under a pile of papers recently. Let me know if you still need this.

I don't recall, exactly, but it could have been me.

 

[407370]

By the way, was it you I promised to translate the guidelines for photographing in public in Germany? I came across the magazine with my initial notes under a pile of papers recently. Let me know if you still need this.

I don't recall, exactly, but it could have been me.

It was not me.

I have never taken an audience into consideration when taking a pic. The pic is for me and I know how difficult it was to create or process to my satisfaction and if someone else likes it then that is a bonus. I dont enter competitions and I know the limitations of what I like to produce compared to what is generally accepted as "good photography" and I am fine with that.

If I did enter competitions or make money from photography my attitude would be different but I am never going to spoil a great hobby with making money.

 

[unpopular]

I think technical difficulty can add to how impressive an image is, but it can't save it. If a technically difficult image didn't turn out, that only reflects a lack of skill. Maybe it's a skill that most of us likewise lack, but it's still a reflection of that nonetheless.

I like to say "there are no excuses for bad photography".